[The Liberation of Evil Gods and the Unlocking of Skills]

"If I am liberated from the System... what exactly happens?"

To my question, Sataniel rubbed her eyes, looking somewhat weary, and replied.

"Hmm... For starters, skills usually function according to the fixed standards and power levels defined by the System. However, if you break free from the framework of the skills defined by the System... you gain the ability to control your own Magi, allowing you to transcend those fixed limitations."

In simple terms... it meant I could bypass the restrictions on Kashnakas' authority, like the 'Tentacle Manifestation' skill, which was currently capped at about ten tentacles sprouting from my palms. For instance, if I concentrated my Magi into my mouth, the tentacles would erupt from there instead... and if I poured in significantly more Magi than the original consumption rate, I could unleash a cluster of dozens of tentacles at once.

'I don't have to limit the Void Veil I received from Botamilli to just myself...'

If I had enough Magi, I could now deploy the Void Veil as an area-of-effect defense, and if my Magi control was precise enough, I could dramatically reduce consumption and deploy a perfect defense only in a localized area.

"Indikron, Kashnakas, Botamilli... and my name have been recorded in the Apocalypse, so four attributes have been liberated. The attributes of Abyss and Chaos... combined with the Void and my own Heresy... you will now be able to use the skills belonging to our authorities freely. I'll make it easier for you to see."

"Oh..."

Sataniel reached out and traced some strange sign in the air. At the same time, I felt something... a ticklish sensation. It felt like someone was interfering with my soul, just like when I first received the Slave Brand.

"Done. Check your changed ability window."

I immediately checked my status. Everything else remained unchanged, but the skill list had been reorganized.

⚔ SKILL LIST ⚔

[Chaos (Kashnakas)]: Tentacle Manifestation, Overflowing Flesh, Chaos Observation

[Abyss (Indikron)]: Abyss Observation, Abyss Maw, Abyss Construction

[Void (Botamilli)]: Void Veil

[Heresy (Sataniel)]: Slave Brand, Permanent Contract (2), Human Sacrifice, Favor of the Ten Thousand Demons

[Mutation (???)]: Modified Vision, Imperfect Membrane

[Corruption (???)]: Unholy Touch, Polluted Breath, Filthy Hand-Blade

[Negation (???)]: Evil Eye of Non-Self

My skills were sorted by attribute. Given that they were divided into Chaos, Abyss, Void, and so on, could I assume one god was assigned to each attribute?

"Do you see anything that has changed?"

"Yes... The skills seem to be sorted by attribute... Is that correct?"

"Exactly. From Chaos to Heresy, those are the liberated attributes. The liberated attributes will bear the names of the gods you have encountered."

"Yes... but were the Slave Brand and Human Sacrifice... your authorities, Sataniel?"

"I rose to the seat of a god through those, so naturally. If you also enslave and sacrifice on a planetary scale and pile up karma like a madman, you can become a god like me."

"Uh..."

A deep madness permeated Sataniel's voice. Just how many people would I have to kill to reach the seat of a god? No wonder she was so envious of the fact that I could become a god for free if I caught Loki... I could roughly guess how much hell she had gone through to reach that position. Even after going through all that, she had been cleaning up after the Three Main Gods...

"Then, for now... the remaining three..."

"Mutation, Corruption... and Negation... Among them, you will be able to meet the god of Corruption relatively soon."

"Yes?"

"It means you can summon the god. Of course, only the god's physical body will be summoned."

‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"What does that... by any chance..."

The only divine existence I could summon right now... was the Spore Queen, who could be summoned if I increased the number of mushroom humans to 300. Was that monster one of the Evil Gods? Looking at it... it seemed like it could be caught if there were a few people of Ziegfried's caliber...

"The Spore Queen you can summon with the mushrooms you've obtained, Spenta Mainyu... She is the mother of all abandoned life... Her soul and body were separated and sealed away separately... The whereabouts of her soul are unknown, but if you increase the number of mushrooms and cause them to go berserk, her ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠body can be summoned. Of course, since she lacks her soul, which is her true self, she would effectively be nothing more than a large mass of spores... but that would still be enough to contaminate a planet."

Thanks to Sataniel reading my causality, she had a rough grasp of the items I had obtained and my past actions, and she gave me appropriate advice.

"Then, if I can obtain the Spore Queen's soul..."

"You could increase the number of mushroom humans and awaken another Evil God. Not the lowest-ranking gods who only filled the ranks of the Manma-jeon... but an existence worthy of occupying a seat like mine... it will certainly be a help. I also have a rough guess as to the whereabouts of her soul."

"You have a guess...?"

"Yes... Looking at it... one of the slaves you've captured is a retainer of the World Tree."

"Yes..."

She must mean Hee-sun, my older sister. Because the World Tree had interfered more than once to take Hee-sun, who was a druid, away from me...

"Then... have you collected all three of Nus's divine treasures?"

"Yes, I have."

I hadn't received the bracelet from Aila yet, but once I did, I would head straight to the Forest of Corruption... wait? "The Forest of Corruption. There..."

"It is there. The soul of a godhead that ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went mad, having devoured the twin gods Angra and decided to become the mother of all abandoned life..."

I had gained a new clue. I was already planning to enter the Forest of Corruption to obtain the Deer King's Crown... and to think that the spirit of an Evil God was there too. Another reason to go had been added. The Forest of Corruption was calling me. I would likely clash with beings belonging to the Man-gwi-jeon there...

'Purifying the Forest of Corruption... was the way to obtain the Deer King's Crown... So, if the action to obtain the Deer King's Crown is the process of dealing with the Spore Queen's soul... then things won't get tangled up...'

If Hee-sun hadn't become a druid... or if I hadn't made the miraculous choice to revive her, I wouldn't have been able to obtain Nus's three divine treasures, and one of the Evil Gods might have been lost just like that. Moreover, the fact that I could obtain all three of Nus's divine treasures was a stroke of luck in itself. If I hadn't chosen Nus's Necklace as the reward for Hee-sun's apprentice forest keeper quest, the resurrection of Spenta Mainyu would have been impossible.

I had truly overcome miraculous odds to gain the possibility of awakening one more sealed Evil God.

'Is this... the effect of Luck 666...?'

It wasn't just that the difficulty increased. To think that the result of my choices and actions, based on how hard I'd worked, would lead to such a beneficial situation due to luck.

"Looking at it... you can also go to the ruins of the Dark King... No... rather than focusing on growing your strength, you've just collected a bunch of fancy items like a crow..."

"Uh... yes."

"Hmm... Anyway, there are other attributes, but it seems you haven't acquired them yet... For now, it would be best to raise your level to 20 and enter the Forest of Corruption. The choice is yours, but..."

It had been quite some time since I'd been stuck at level 17, so it was about time to level up. Even the Saintess was level 18, higher than me... I couldn't just stand still. However, I had already killed all the field bosses near Hyoseon Girls' High School. Therefore, I had to go hunting further away... or wait for the day the Ghost Gate opened and go find it. Or maybe travel around the United States.

'Hmm... Level 20...'

But if I reached level 20, I'd have twenty skills; would I be able to utilize them all? 'Even if I can't use them all properly, the more cards I have in my hand, the better...'

For now, I'd follow Sataniel's advice, return to Hyoseon Girls' High School to finish up the tasks, and then start searching for the Ghost Gate.

'But... I feel like I've killed quite a lot until now... the fact that I'm still level 17 is a bit...'

Could this also be someone's scheme? My paranoia flared up, and I asked Sataniel.

"That can be solved simply by killing more field bosses. There is no answer other than grinding. And... on the day the Ghost Gate opens, find it. If you catch the Lords of the Afterlife, you will be able to raise your level to 20. Looking at the situation... there are already those who have caught the Lords of the Afterlife..."

"Yes...?"

"Apostles of the Pantheon and the Man-gwi-jeon are stationed all over the world. Since the demons betrayed us... you are the only proper apostle the Manma-jeon possesses, so work hard. Harder than you are now... *cough*..."

"Yes..."

"Then... Merhere El Sariel. Come to me."

"Ah... yes...!"

The time had finally come to restore Mer's power. Mer, who wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a player like me from the beginning. However, she had lost all the power she possessed when she fell, and when we first met, she was in a state of despair over her own incompetence. That was why I had used an Account Creation Card to help her regain some of her power. To think that Mer, who had been like that, would now regain her former power... it was a moving moment.

"If you walk the same path as I do... you can never return to how you were before. Furthermore, your soul after death can never ascend to the heavens. Do you not care? You will never be able to have your sins forgiven."

"Yes. I don't care. As long as my master is by my side..."

"Then I will attribute your origin to the Ten Thousand Demons. In this process, your player status will be revoked."

"I don't care about that either."

At Mer's affirmation, Sataniel nodded and pulled out a pitch-black liquid from the air. It looked like liquid metal with a black luster.

"Put on the Veil of Qliphoth. You, too, will be able to gain the qualification to open the gates of Ein Sof."

The black liquid metal floating in the air swirled, forming a round circle.

"Distorted Halo..."

Mer had already obtained the Distorted Halo as a skill. But that was a skill-limited ability. If she accepted that, it was clear she would be able to exert power by replacing the halo she had been robbed of.

"*Cough*... *Ahem*... The Veil of Qliphoth will replace the authority that was stolen."

At Sataniel's gesture, the Veil of Qliphoth floated above Mer's head. Soon, it flowed downward and seeped through Mer's skin.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Merhere El Sariel's brand is being erased!!!

"Ugh..."

"Mer..."

I caught Mer, who was staggering. She waved her hand, saying she was fine, and soon regained her posture. She seemed to be breaking out in a cold sweat, but... she seemed able to endure it.

"The System has disappeared from you. Along with it, the Slave Brand has been erased, but... well, you can figure that out yourselves... For now, if you wait, you will slowly recover your former power."

"Thank you... Sataniel."

Mer bowed her head toward Sataniel, who was floating in the air while sitting in a meditative posture. Sataniel looked extremely... exhausted. She felt like her energy was drained. Her pitch-black hair had turned slightly white... she had aged a bit. I was afraid she might faint if we pushed her any harder, so we hurried to leave the temple. At that moment, Sataniel gave me a few tasks.

"When you go out... send down about 10 parasitic humans. They must be individuals who know how to read and write."

"Uh... do you not need humans?"

"Parasitic humans are enough. Ten parasitic humans... *cough*... no... just keep sending them down periodically. There is more than enough work to do. Oh, and coffee... I request coffee and cigarettes... As much as possible... enough to drink and smoke until I die... Also... alcohol... I need alcohol... enough to lose my mind... Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are the best nutrients for me... Offer me alcohol, cigarettes... and coffee. Oh, since you've occupied the United States... marijuana and various other drugs, too... as much as you can... *cough*! *Cough*!!!"

Sataniel, coughing up blood... asking me to offer material luxury goods instead of human souls... This was a different kind of offering. I told Sataniel I understood, then took Mer's hand and left the temple. After sending a dozen parasitic humans to the Yellow Spot, I would have to go out and bring in as much alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, and drugs as I could.

'Then I have to collect the overdue rewards and roam around the ruined Seoul to hunt field bosses... Then, when I have time, go to the United States to make slaves... and when my level rises, to the Forest of Corruption...'

I was too busy. I had become just as busy as Sataniel. Was this all because there weren't enough people to work for the Manma-jeon? Come to think of it, the Slave Brand was Sataniel's authority... so if Sataniel had been resurrected, couldn't I just create a class like a slave merchant and put it under my command... then I could make that guy a slave and order him to apply the Slave Brand himself... Yes, outsourcing slavery.

'Ah, I should have asked before I left...'

I lamented with regret. Before I knew it, I had arrived at the tent set up in the ruins of the Abyss, not the exit of the Abyss connected to Hyoseon Girls' High School. The 24-person tent where I had been... not humiliated, but raped by Saintess Anna.

"Uh... what? Why here..."

"*Ahem*."

"Huh?"

What, what is this... why is Mer taking off her clothes? What is this...

"*Ahem*. Master. No, Jojun."

"What?"

Is it because the Slave Brand is erased... she's not calling me master anymore...? Why? By any chance... Mer's betrayal...? No... that's impossible...

"Take it off."

"What?"

"Jojun... you've been kidnapped by me right now... so take it off obediently. I have to carve a seal into my womb, too... I, too... have now completely surrendered to the Ten Thousand Demons..."

I had been caught in Mer's clutches far too easily. Yes, it seemed Mer didn't want to miss this rare opportunity to be alone with me.

"Uh... uh-uh..."

Like that, my clothes were being taken off by Mer, who had approached me before I even realized it.

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[The Liberation of Evil Gods and the Unlocking of Skills]

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